4 Books to Cozy Up with This Fall, According to Bookstore Owners

Pro: There are so many great books out there, with nuanced characters, interesting plot lines, and entertaining stories. Con: Actually choosing the ones you want to read—and then deciding which of those to dive into first. And while this “con” definitely deserves to be filed under “good problems to have,” we turned to the experts—bookstore owners—to help narrow down the search by sharing their top fall book picks. Their choices: 

Absolution 

by Alice McDermott 

“An astonishingly well-written historical fiction, I felt as though I was in Vietnam in the heat and enclosed in the 1960’s social restrictions on women. This story of two American wives, their relationship and struggle to build lives for themselves, viscerally reaches out to put me there with them. Beautifully written with deeply felt characters, I highly recommend this book—I just loved it.

– Alice Hutchinson, owner, Byrd’s Books in Bethel, CT 

Las Madres 

by Esmeralda Santiago

“Esmeralda Santiago has won my heart over and over again with her newest title “Las Madres”. I could not put it down. A sweeping saga of beautiful characters, spanning generations and locations, with intertwined fates of families bound together by hardships and struggle. 

Santiago has written environmental disasters and pain, hurricanes and loss, in the most heart wrenching, physically aching way. She brings us beautiful words, in beautiful languages, stories of a life lived in words and emotions and memories. 

I can feel the warm breezes of Puerto Rico, hear the winds and rain pummeling the walls, and see the Puerto Rican flags flying on fire escapes all over the Bronx. 

Esmeralda also happens to live in Westchester but has published numerous titles such as “When I Was Puerto Rican”, “Almost a Woman”, “Conquistadora”, “The Turkish Lover” and “America’s Dream”.

— Gretchen Menzies, owner of Katonah Reading Room in Katonah, NY 

The Matchmaker’s Gift

by Lynda Cohen Loigman

“We are very lucky to have wonderful authors here in Westchester! Lynda Cohen Loigman’s The Matchmaker’s Gift is a beautiful story about love and family. Sara comes to NYC in the early 1900’s and causes a stir as she secretly uses her gift for matchmaking which was forbidden for women. Decades later her divorce lawyer granddaughter has yet to find true love. A feel good fall read.” 

— Jennifer Kohn, owner of The Village Bookstore in Pleasantville, NY 

Bonus for local readers: You can discuss the book with a Lynda on November 30 at the Mount Pleasant Library. 

(paperback release) 

What You Are Looking For is in the Library: A Novel 

by Michiko Aoyama

“This book is a gem. An inspiring tale about the power of books and connection to change your life—it’s the perfect gift for any book lover.”

– Jen Bird, the owner of Athena Books in Old Greenwich, CT. 

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